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Gilded Cage

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Gilded Cage

By: Vic James
Narrated by: Avita Jay
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Buy for $18.00

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MAGIC RULES. WE SERVE.

In a darkly fantastical debut set in modern-day Britain, magic users control everything: wealth, politics, power—and you. If you’re not one of the ultimate one-percenters—the magical elite—you owe them ten years of service. Do those years when you’re old, and you’ll never get through them. Do them young, and you’ll never get over them.

This is the darkly decadent world of Gilded Cage. In its glittering milieu move the all-powerful Jardines and the everyday Hadleys. The families have only one thing in common: Each has three children. But their destinies entwine when one family enters the service of the other. They will all discover whether any magic is more powerful than the human spirit.

Have a quick ten years. . . .

Look for all three books in the mesmerizing Dark Gifts trilogy:
GILDED CAGE • TARNISHED CITY • BRIGHT RUIN

Praise for Gilded Cage

“Beautifully characterised and compellingly plotted, Gilded Cage is an impressive debut.”—The Guardian

“Exquisitely wicked . . . a lavishly opulent, yet brutally vivid, alternate England which subtly questions modern beliefs . . . If ever there was a speculative fiction book that captured the zeitgeist of an era this is it.”—SFFWorld

“An alternate modern-day England where enticing drama and social unrest mix with aristocratic scandal and glamorous magic . . . conjuring up the specters of Les Misérables and Downton Abbey . . . an absorbing first installment that presages an intriguing new fantasy series.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Gilded Cage is a heart-pounding combination of dark magic, political revolution, and forbidden romance that had me addicted from the first page!”—Danielle L. Jensen, USA Today bestselling author of The Malediction Trilogy

“Devious and deliciously dark with lashings of magic, mystery, and mayhem, this juggernaut of a book will keep you hanging on by your fingernails until the very last page.”—Taran Matharu, New York Times bestselling author of the Summoner series

“A dark and intriguing vision of an alternate, magic-drenched Britain, Gilded Cage kept me up long into the night.”—Aliette de Bodard, author of The House of Shattered Wings Magic Dystopian Fantasy Adventure Fiction Paranormal & Urban Contemporary Science Fiction Classics

Critic reviews

“Beautifully characterised and compellingly plotted, Gilded Cage is an impressive debut.”—The Guardian

“Exquisitely wicked . . . a lavishly opulent, yet brutally vivid, alternate England which subtly questions modern beliefs . . . If ever there was a speculative fiction book that captured the zeitgeist of an era this is it.”—SFFWorld

“An alternate modern-day England where enticing drama and social unrest mix with aristocratic scandal and glamorous magic . . . conjuring up the specters of Les Misérables and Downton Abbey . . . an absorbing first installment that presages an intriguing new fantasy series.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Gilded Cage is a heart-pounding combination of dark magic, political revolution, and forbidden romance that had me addicted from the first page!”—Danielle L. Jensen, USA Today bestselling author of The Malediction Trilogy

“Devious and deliciously dark with lashings of magic, mystery, and mayhem, this juggernaut of a book will keep you hanging on by your fingernails until the very last page.”—Taran Matharu, New York Times bestselling author of the Summoner series

“A dark and intriguing vision of an alternate, magic-drenched Britain, Gilded Cage kept me up long into the night.”—Aliette de Bodard, author of The House of Shattered Wings

“Brisk plotting, sympathetic characters, and plenty of intrigue will keep readers on the edges of their seats, eager for the next book in a very promising series.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Continue the series
Tarnished City Audiobook By Vic James cover art
Tarnished City By: Vic James
Bright Ruin Audiobook By Vic James cover art
Bright Ruin By: Vic James
Interesting Premise • Complex Characters • Intriguing Twists • Believable Alternate Reality • Great Vocal Performance

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
Great voice. Story is meh but entertaining. Not sure about sequel. Uneven plotting but worth a listen.

Pretty good

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It ended abruptly. I hadn't watched the time so when I heard Epilogue, I was very surprised

the alternate society

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I was a bit wary of this book due to all the bad reviews, but I’m glad I gave it a chance. I’m very interested to see what happens next. It did take me like 10 chapters to really get into the book, so hang in there. It gets better.

I find all the characters likable. Even some of the “villains”. The premise of the world is very interesting. I do think the author could have gone a bit deeper into the world building, but they did a good enough job.

The narration was great. I found her voice very pleasant. Many characters had distinctive voices though not all. She is not the best I’ve ever heard, but certainly one of the better.

The pacing was sort of all over the place. Some POVs could be cut out. There were too many and I think that may be why it took some time to get into. It wasn’t a linear plot. But all in all, I liked this book. I think the bad reviewers are a bit up themselves.

Surprised

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In our current state of inequality this book is hard to listen to. It’s a fantastic story, but painful. The injustice is overwhelming. The smugness of those in power makes your blood boil. I encourage you to listen and remember. We are unequal, we are slavers, we must stand together. Don’t let power concentrate.

Hard to swallow

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great book. brings you right in, hate that i have yo wait for a book 2

loved this

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